Cutbacks hit 'Y-Rock' programming on WXPN

Fans of modern rock in southeastern Pennsylvania have been dealt a blow with the cancellation of the weekly "Y-Rock on XPN" programming on public radio station WXPN-FM 88.5.

The noncommercial station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia is heard in Lancaster County via WXPH-FM 88.7, Middletown. It plays primarily an adult album alternative (Triple-A) format.

When Radio One pulled the plug on modern rock at WPLY-FM 100.3 in 2005, WPLY program director Jim McGuinn and other former Y-100 staffers started a grass-roots "Save Y-100" effort among the station's former listeners. "Y-Rock" moved to WXPN in 2006.

I met McGuinn about two years ago. He had actually started and run Y-Rock out of a bedroom in his Philadelphia home (his wife was not thrilled) before XPN added modern rock as an evening program.

"Y-Rock on XPN" was heard three nights a week on WXPN's main channel, as well as full time on the station's HD2 channel and webstream. The HD2 service continues for now, as does the stream, but layoffs of several staffers, including Josh Landow, Y-Rock's midday host and operations manager, led to the demise of the "Y-Rock on XPN" segments.

Radio people on the move: Diane Grey, formerly of WMHX-FM "Mix 106.7," is now working mornings with Dave Crockett at WSOX-FM 96.1.

Grey, who teamed with Rick Sten, was fired, along with John London, when Mix eliminated its on-air staff in April. Only London is still looking for full-time work. Sten is doing mornings on WCAT-FM Red 102.3-FM.

• John Cook, the program director for Philadelphia's WBEN-FM 95.7, is out, and Greater Media has yet to announce a replacement at "Ben FM" — a good station for people who love '80s music.

HD in E-town: I took for granted that Comcast Cable was upgrading digital programming for Lancaster and Elizabethtown customers at the same time, but a reader from E-town asked me why he couldn't find the channels I was writing about.

The answer: no new high-definition channels yet for E-town. A Comcast spokesperson said a digital upgrade is slated for E-town in July and August, adding about three dozen new HD channels. Lancaster customers received the upgrade in May and June.

"Twilight" offering: Comcast digital TV customers can view footage from Stephenie Meyer's best-selling "Twilight" series by choosing "Top Picks" and "Twilight" in the OnDemand library.

High ratings: The Nielsen Co. estimates that nearly 9.4 million people watched Argentina eliminate Mexico on Univision last Sunday, according to The Associated Press. An additional 5.5 million people watched that game on ESPN.

The game on the Spanish-speaking network in the U.S. topped Univision's previous high, the 9 million people who watched the finale of the telenovela "Destilando Amor" ("Distilling Love") in 2007, according to Nielsen.

The U.S. team's loss to Ghana last Saturday was watched by 19.4 million people, the largest audience ever for soccer on American TV.

King leaving CNN: Larry King, 76, host of "Larry King Live" for 25 years, announced last Tuesday that he will end his prime-time CNN show sometime in November.